The animation is not hard to create; they are easy to design when you have the right tools. Animation can be in the form of video clips, GIFs, and many other types. If you are learning to design animation or already an expert, the software is the major requirements. We see the animation daily, they are on cereal boxes, in cartoons, in advertisements and advanced animations are now in movies too. Stick figure animation also called pivot animation use pivot-joiners for connection; the drawings are represented frame by frame after another. Stick figure is the most common and oldest used animation. Various programs offer tools to make stick figures they can be coloured, semi-circles, dot, or line. There are many animation tools available online and free to download on multiple operating systems they all support stick figure animation and more 2D and 3D tools if you want to expand your expertise.
1. Stykz
Heron Animation (Free) Image Source. Heron Animation is a stop motion software free of cost. It is fully compatible with every operating system, i.e., Windows, Mac, and Linux. A program that solely focuses on user experience and feasibility helps you take pictures from a webcam and make stop motion animations. GIMP is a free open source GIF animation editor software for Windows, Linux, and Mac. It is a popular image editor which also lets you create and edit animated GIFs. It provides a feature rich set of tools which let you enhance animated GIF. You can edit individual frames of an animated GIF in it. Let’s talk about its GIF editing tools. GIF Animator is Mac user's best choice for creating amazing animations, avatars, banners and userpics. With this app you can easily convert Video to GIF, or create GIF animation from set of images with a few clicks. Here you can get the best free 3D and 2D animation software for windows free and you can also use these free animation software for beginners and also use for cartoon animation, free 3d cartoon movie making, etc. It can work smoothly on windows 7,8,8.1,10 and Redstone. GIPHY Capture is the best way to create GIFs on your Mac. This free app is simple, powerful, and easy enough for pretty much anyone. Create your GIF with just a couple clicks. Click to start, click to stop!. Capture GIFs up to 30 seconds long.new. Capture live! Just click to grab the last 30 seconds of video.
Free Gif Animation Software For Mac
Stykz is an animator, free software which allows users to create stick-figure and sprite animation and save them in GIF format for web usage and AVI format. A multi-platform stick figure animation program that is frame-based and let the user work on individual frames for excellent animation. The program allows you to edit the animation directly on the stage, by holding particular modifier user can access extend mode which enables him to reach a line segment and move all linked line segments. The program consists of simple features like manipulating figures, working with animation, importing and exporting animation and edit them in Stykz, auto-save and auto-backup facility and more. The tools provided are simple, labelled, and easy to use. The GUI factor is significant in the animation software, so Stykz has given a lot of work in presenting a nice and clean interface.
2. Pivot
Pivot animator short for Pivot is a free multi-platform stick figure and sprite amination creator. It provides a simple, easy to use interface designed according to the user perspective. The program offers a frame-by-frame animation principle that also includes a wide range of pre-designed sticks, so the user has an idea of design and layout. The figure is made by using lines and circles, with each line and circles a pivot point is used to connect them. The user interface is easy to navigate, and it has all the startup tools to design an essential figure and animation, user can import and export animation to editing in Pivot. The software is quick to install and contain many pre-designed pictures for editing purpose; the animations can be saved in GIF extension so the user can edit them in other software.
3. TISFAT
TISFAT is a free, open-source 2D-based keyframe animation software which offers editing and creating stick figure and sprite figure animations, and works on almost all platforms. User can create multiple animating on a single platform. The tools TSIFAT offers are easy to use and understand, although creating a single animation takes a lot of time. The feature includes 60 fps, uses tweening to smooth out keyframes, necessary and advance onion skin, intuitive interface and easy navigation, multilayer system, image support system, and highly packed stick edition. A slight factor of time-consuming and multilayer duplication makes the software hard to use.
4. Tupi
Tupi is a free animation software for Mac users and allows to create stick-figure and sprite figures. 2D animations which enable Mac users to experience an easy way to create animation. The software features include necessary tools for vector illustration that include rectangles, ellipses, lines, and polygons, reusing imported media assets, support for tweening position, scale, shear and rotation, raster images called bitmap, the choice to save finished animations to AVI, MPEG, SVG, GIF, etc. Tupi interface is comfortable for even an eight-year-old to make animation. The tools are laid out and labeled so the user can choose from the specific section; the instruments change according to the project category.
5. Pencil 2D
Pencil 2D is free, multi-platform 2D animation and graphic designing software. Most straightforward hand-drawn animation program that works flawlessly on Mac computers and works fine on Windows. It is an excellent platform for beginners, which includes a help and tutorial feature to learn and practice every tool. The interface is easy to understand, and interaction provides quick access to the user to the library where pre-designed figures are stored. The features include lightweight and minimalistic design that makes it very easy for starters to work with stick figures and animation, raster image and vector workflow with quick switching between them. The tools consist of layers, keyframe manipulation system, onion skinning, pressure sensitivity, and many more.
6. Toon Boom Animate Pro 3
Toon Boon is an award-winning software used to create stick-figure and animations; it works on almost all platforms. The software offers two tiers; animated 3 and animated Pro 3. As the name suggested that animation 3 is free and have limited features and an excellent platform for beginners to start creating animations. Both applications interface are not that easy to understand, the learning curve is steep, but with little time, it is a powerful tool in amination designing category. Toon Boom Animate Pro 3 features include Bone-Style Deform, true pencil, to draw and modify lines easily, Tool Presets Toolbar which allows the user to save presets for any tools and remembering its properties.
7. Blender
Blender is an OpenGL based software that provides tools for 2D, 3D animations, stick figure, and sprite figure animations. Free software which can run on almost all operating systems. It is a tool for professionals; beginners have not a pleasant experience because the interface is not very intuitive. This tool enables users to turn still images into 3D animation, and also offers a fast rigging too that allows users to convert 3D models into animated characters. the core functions of the program offers are automated walk-cycle along paths, an editor for character animation poses, non-linear animation for independent character movement and mirror functionality.
8. Bryce
Bryce is a multi-platform 3D modeling, rendering, and animation software. It allows stick and sprite figures animations and can save work in multiple extensions. The software combines exceptional power with an innovative user interface for comfortable usage. Software specifications involve improved light tab, sky lab improvement, improved instancing lab, render options movements, importing and exporting animations, and much more. It is free to download and has two versions; the pro version is not free and costs about $20. The software blends adequately with an inventive interface that is user-friendly. Bryce is less time consuming and offers more solution and autocorrect features; these features have made the program works perfectly with most of the other modeling programs in the category.
9. DAZ Studio
DAZ Studio is free software that offers 3D, stick figure animation. The software has a fast and friendly interface and contains a clear GUI to the user. A steep learning curve allows its users to gain more information in less time. The 3D factor is DAZ is the reason this software is more compatible with every operating system. The massive library consists of pre-designed animated figures which allow the user to create and edit an animation in less time. A key feature of DAZ includes NVIDIA Iray that is a photoreal render tool with similar items to help make HDR photos. Other features include 3D morphing, interactive tutorials that allows both beginner and expert users, GPU accelerated real-time rendering and many more.
10. Synfig Studio
Synfig Studio, a free multi-platform animations creator which offers 2D designing tools. It comes with a sharp learning curve due to its Avant-grade feature and amazing outcomes which rely on helping the user in becoming a professional animation designer. The user interface of the software is quite intuitive, which allows the user by separating the windows in categories like tools window, editing, navigator, and parameters window. Since most of the elements based on vectors and slabs developed are parametrically; therefore, only raster images will appear and not the inherent pixilation. Synfig Studio offers complete support for gradient routes, which allows the user to insert soft shading into the drawing without any effort and without need for sketching the animation on each frame separately.
11. Plastic Animation Paper
Plastic Animation Paper is a free stick figure and 2D animation designing software that support all operating systems. They provide their tutorials, so users don’t have to face any issues with the usage. The layout of the interface is easy to understand and provides guidelines. Its features include essential drawing tools, the ability to organize a workflow with a menu creating option, zooming and rotating a sheet, and many more. It allows the use of a pressure-sensitive Wacom pen that allows the user to create more accurate designs. Plastic Animation Paper has complete its features with onion skinning, light setup, layers, blue and red pen for planning and drafting scenes and poses.
12. Stickman & Elemento
Stickman & Elemento is an animation software in which the user can create and control cartoon character. It is a cross-platform software and free to download, although it will only work if the system has Microsoft .NET Framework 1.1. The free version has many tools, but the pro version has all those tools but has some difference in the interface and additional tools which makes the pro version standout. The user can use the software for more than animation and stick figure, easy to use with clean and clear GUI. Key features involve infinite curves for drawing, path tools, drag-drop items, combine the video clips, pivot stick figure 2.2.5 integration, GDI+, AntiGrain rendering with OpenGL acceleration, and many more.
Everybody knows Pokemon, Popeye, Scooby Doo, Tom and Jerry, Flintstone, mickey mouse, bugs bunny. All these characters were a part of our childhood. And these characters were made by animation.
The animation is the process of making the illusion of motion and change. Animation can also be defined as an illusion of movement created by showing a series of still pictures in rapid succession. The animation is a process in which many things are integrated into the multimedia and gaming products — processes such as designing, drawing, making layouts and preparation of photographic sequences. Animation means exploiting still images, into something which looks to appear real and moving. The animation is the display of series of frames simultaneously. Animation can be as simple as making a gif to more complex animation like creating a character in a game.
The act of creating new art has been done for centuries such as drawing, painting, sculpting. Animation can be called as Modern Form of creating art. Animation lets artist or animator to explore the infinity of world in motion. This modern art form brings out the emotion and that feeling of existence through movement of a sequence of drawings, images. In animation, two objects are always related to each other.
Why is Animation Important?
Free Gif Creator Software
Animation exists as something which is truly created by the artist and can be called as an artist-driven art form. Some of the greatest artists of the past hundred years have either worked in animation or have taken inspiration from animated art. An animation is an excellent form of communication. The animation does not have a fixed group of the audience; it is for the kids, it is for the old, it is for young people and also from grown-ups. Animation allows you to bring life to something which doesn’t exist in reality but in the brain. At times it becomes easier to related to animations than one can relate with actual humans. Animation is a powerful tool for sharing and promoting a variety of audiences and global issues. Right from educating young ones to discuss serious global issues like global warming, animations play an important part. Animation helps us in represent reality in a cartoon form, which makes it more impactful. The animation is a mixture of meaning, story, colors, creativity, and imagination.
So, let us get started and know about the software which helps in creating animated images and find which best free animation software available.
1. Pencil2D
Pencil2D is a free open source software that helps you create two dimensional (2D) animation without much struggle. The pencil is easily the best free animation software for windows. Pencil lets you create traditional hand-drawn animation using both bitmap and vector graphics. Pencil2D is one of the simplest 2D hand-drawn animation programs available. Pencil works smoothly on Mac computers making it the best free animation software for Mac. Pencil2D is ideal for beginners, as the commands are easy to understand and use and also the interface of Pencil is simple. Pencil allows the user to make something in a single layer as well as a multilayer. Pencil allows the user to paint and sketch. Pencil allows you to create and manipulate your animations by using its own feature-rich editor. When you use Pencil, you can easily determine the animation frame rate, sounds, image importing and exporting. Pencil allows the user to export your animated work as an FLV video file or an SWF movie.
2. CreaToon
CreaToon is a user-friendly and simple software which allows you to create 2D animations which are in fashion and add several special effects to the same. CreaToon is definitely a great animator tool which is designed for making cartoons in general. The user interface of CreaToon will take you back to 14th century, but it still is able to do complex tasks very easily. CreaToon has two menus on either side of the screen which allows the quick access of the tools which is used by the user for creating an animated character. CreaToon can set custom frame rate, in addition to adjustable heights and width settings.
3. Animation Paper
Animation Paper is one of the best free animation software available to use. Animation Paper is used to making uncomplicated animations. Animation Paper has some powerful tools, which helps the user to create amazing animations even if you don’t know much about animation. Animation Paper’s interface is quite simple and user-friendly. Animation Paper is pretty easy to work with. Animation Paper delivers the best result if it is used on a widescreen monitor. Animation Paper also gives some suggestions while you are animating.
4. Synfig Studio
Synfig Studio is another open source software which works on all platforms – Windows, Mac and Linux. Synfig Studio is quite complicated and needs to be learned thoroughly to be an expert. Once you master its advanced grade feature, it will give amazing results. The interface of Synfig Studio is divided into four parts – tools window, editing window, navigator window, and parameters window. Once you get familiar with all the four parts, you will be able to create amazing and quality cartoons and animations. Synfig Studio is based on the vector and bitmap technique. Synfig Studio allows you to synchronize created animation with any sound of your choice as It has a full-featured audio editor.
5. Stykz
Stykz is a free software which you can download and use it to create animations and import into other applications. Stykz works on all leading operating systems – Windows, Linux and Mac. Stykz offers plenty of handy tools which can be used to create wonderful animations. Stykz has a user-friendly interface. However, Stykz is limited to basic animations, when compared to other animation software. Stykz is great for any 2D animations which are simple and uses fewer tools. Stykz is famous for its stick figure animations. Stykz is the first cross-platform stick figure animation software which allows the user to develop, edit and preview your animation. Stykz allows you to work on each frame which results in perfect finishing.
6. Blender
Blender is an open-source 3D animation creation website. Blender is the best free animation software for 3D animation. Blender is used by many people from different fields for a different purpose. Blender supports 3D pipeline which includes modeling, rigging, animation, simulations, rendering, composition and motion tracking. Blender also offers video editing and game creation. Blender offers animations and VFX features which are better than any other free animation software.
7. Bryce Pro
Bryce is not like your traditional animation software; it is something which will help you to create your own terrestrial model. Bryce is user-friendly 3D landscaping and animation software. Bryce is free of cost and works on all the platform. Bryce allows you to add special features like wildlife, nature, human beings and many such things in your 3D Drawing. Along with this, Bryce also allows the user to make landscapes, stones, mountains, rocks, water, clouds and many more things which will make it more real.
8. Daz 3D Studio
Daz 3d is another powerful 3D animation software which is complete. Daz allows you to create small videos and animations that you want to create. Daz is user-friendly and also offers rich features and functionalities which is of great help when you animate. Daz studio is for amateurs as well as professionals. The design engine in Daz 3D is very fast which helps in getting the desired results very quickly. Daz 3D has a massive library that contains a pre-developed component which will help you to develop animations without any fuss.
9. Clara.io
Clara.io is a full-featured cloud-based 3D modeling, animation and rendering software tool that runs in your web browser. Clara.io does not require any plugins to function. Clara.io also has a great arrangement of polygonal modeling and skeletal animation, which boasts of a user base of over 80,000. Clara.io has a modern interface which allows the user to undo/redo, drag/drop and is responsive workflow. Clara.io is a cross-platform tool which works on almost all the browsers an operating system. Clara.io also allows the editing by multiple users simultaneously.
10. Terragen
Terragen is a free program that you can download on the Windows platform. Terragen is the perfect software which allows you to create 3D animations and environments that you wish to create. Terragen allows you to import real-world data sets and create the most realistic visualizations possible. Terragen allows you to control weather, landscapes, rivers, sun, stars and everything else which you can think of. Terragen allows photo-realistic clouds and ozone simulations. Rendering in the latest version is twice as fast as the previous version of the programs.
Conclusion
In conclusion, we would like to say that in the world of computers, graphics software are used to create effects which help to express your imagination via animations. Animation brings fantasies to life. Animation can also be called as one powerful tool which can be used as a platform to share ideas and abstracts. Animation helps to explore and develop ideas to implement them in reality.
In this article, we have mentioned some software which can be used to create 2D / 3D animations on different platforms. We have mentioned some best free animation software that will help you to animate and create videos or games which you have always thought of. There are some very powerful tools with a lot of features which will help in giving the best results. Some of the software is providing a lot of features without asking for any price in return.